Improvement in paddle-wheels



PATELWEB AUG 8 1971 rrrc.

NATHANIEL I). SHELDON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PADDLE-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N o. 117,822, dated August 8, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL P. SHELDON, ot' the city and county of San Francisco, in the State oi' California, have invented certain new andusefnl Improvements in Paddle-WVheels, of which the following is a specification:

'Ihe nature of my invention consists of a paddle-wheel so constructed that the paddleblades will travel back and forth between the axis and periphery as the wheel revolves, the blades approaching the periphery as they enterthe wa ter and the axis as they are withdrawn, thus preventing the wheell from backing water77 and the consequent loss of power; and my invention further consists in a device for adjusting the depth to which the blades enter the water.

In the drawing, Figure I represents a sideelei' ation ofthe pruldle-wheel and the frame in which it is hung 5 Fig. 2, a top View ot' the same; Fig. 3, an end view of the same 5 Fig. 4, a section of the guides or ways in which the ends ofthe paddle-blades travel; Fig. 5, aview of the paddle-blade detached.

In Figs. 1,2, and 3, A represents a paddle wheel set upon the driving-sha'tt of a vessel and strengthened by braces E attached to its periphery and to collars D secured to the drivingsha-ft on each side of said wheel. The wheel A is constructed with radial arms C, forming guides or ways B, in which the paddle-blades are arranged to travel. N represents the paddle-blades, which are constructed with friction-rollers Q in the middle and O at each end, as shown in Fig. 5. The friction-rollers Q, travel in the guides B when the blades are properly secured in the paddle-wheel, and the rollers O in circular guides hereinafter described. lV WV are ways attached to the frame-work of the vessel on each side of the wheel A. Between these ways the circular guides or ways F are arranged, having a vertical movement therein, for the purpose hereinafter described. or lowered sinmltaneously by means ofthe screws H and gearing I K. The ends of the paddleblades with friction-rollers O are arranged to travel in these ways, which are so placed as to be eccentric with the paddle-wheel, causing the blades, as the wheel revolves, to travel back and forth from the axis to the periphery7 ofthe wheel in the ways B. The ways F are so arranged that the blades will approach the periphery of the wheel as they enter the water, and recede from it as they are withdrawn. The vertical movement of the ways F in the ways WV allows the depth to which the blades enter the water to be easily adjusted.

It is evident that wheels constructed according to my invention may be applied to other uses than propelling vessels; such, for instance, as water-wheels and the. like.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1s I. The combination, in a paddle-wheel, of the radial arms C forming ways B, and paddle-blades .A N with the circula-r ways F, substantially as and for the purposes herein described.

2. The combination ofthe ways F, paddleblades N, ways NV, and screw H, as herein described.

NATHANIEL P. SHELDON.

Witn esses:

l). L. SMITH, WALTER GLAss.

The said circular ways F are raised- 

